0147 156 I'd rather be myself than a minister.
"Thump—thump—thump—"
Three crisp, impolite knocks rang out.
"Whoosh—"
The next second, the sound of the curtain being drawn rang out. The knocking continued, and Ling Xingzhi lay on top of Zhou Xiye.
Ling Xingzhi dared not exert any force; he looked at Zhou Xiye's pale face, which had regained some color.
But he was covered in sweat, which dripped from his forehead and onto her hair.
Zhou Xiye had his eyes closed, his nose was sweaty, and his breathing was heavy.
With each rise and fall, the muscles in his back tensed. He dared not put all his weight on Zhou Xiye, yet he longed to press himself tightly against her. He took a deep breath and buried his head in her neck. Apart from the faint sound of water, he could hear Zhou Xiye's uneven breathing.
With a soft chuckle, Ling Xingzhi closed his eyes and turned his head to place a kiss on Zhou Xiye's cheek, a comforting gesture as he gently rubbed cheek to cheek.
"Thump—thump—thump—thump—"
The knocking became urgent. "Mayor Ling, are you inside?" It was Chen Ran's voice.
He frowned as he obeyed the order.
"Mayor Ling, I need to speak with you," he said, pushing open the door. The curtain fluttered as the door opened and closed, and Chen Ran's gaze fell on a leg beside the bed—a man's leg, Ling Xingzhi's leg. He suddenly felt awkward, inexplicably, and even his voice softened, "Mayor Ling..."
Ling Xingzhi gasped, "Get out."
“But…” Chen Ran looked at the phone in his hand.
"go out!"
"It's Commissioner Ling on the phone."
"...You can go out first."
Chen Ran left.
Ling Xingzhi braced himself on either side of Zhou Xiye, looked at her beneath him, hesitated for a moment, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was filled with desire, "...Fine, since you're a patient, I'll masturbate myself."
He withdrew from Zhou Xiye's body, removed the condom, and walked into the bathroom with his lower body erect. After a while, the sound of water came out, splashing everywhere. Zhou Xiye opened her eyes, sighed, and felt sticky all over. She really wanted to curse.
Ling Xingzhi came out of the bathroom, saw that Zhou Xiye had opened her eyes, chuckled, and took some paper and a hot towel to help Zhou Xiye wipe her lower body. "How is there any difference between you and necrophilia?"
Zhou Xiye turned his head away, not wanting to look at Ling Xingzhi.
He noticed and shook his head with a smile, "It's not that I really want to force myself on you. Look at yourself, you've been draining so much water, haven't you been single for a long time? What difference does it make whether you have that husband or not?"
After cleaning up, Ling Xingzhi helped Zhou Xiye put on his pants and covered him with a blanket.
Zhou Xiye still turned her head away from him. Ling Xingzhi sat on the edge of the bed and pinched her chin with his hand to make her turn to look at him. "You're already like this, and you're still arguing with me?" Zhou Xiye lay flat on the pillow and looked at him quietly. Ling Xingzhi suddenly laughed out loud again. He let go of her hand and sighed calmly.
"...It's good that you're alright... Committee Member Ling called me, so you should get some sleep first. You need to be healthy so you'll have the strength to hit and yell at me, right?"
After Ling Xingzhi finished speaking, he tucked Zhou Xiye's blanket in even more and patted him gently, "...He's really gone."
Pushing open the door, Ling Xingzhi turned around and saw Chen Ran standing to the side. Chen Ran handed Ling Xingzhi his phone and said, "Mayor Ling, the committee member was looking for you. Please call him back."
Ling Xingzhi took the phone, said, "I understand," and dialed the number. While waiting for the call to connect, he walked to the public restroom. Apart from a few Chinese people, no one in Panama understood Chinese, so Ling Xingzhi didn't pay much attention to his surroundings.
He went into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and placed his fingers under the water jet to feel the gentle impact.
The call was connected.
"Hello, Dad, did you call for me?"
Ling Qingshan's voice came through, "How is it? Have you found the person? Did Zhou Xiye take it?"
Ling Xingzhi hesitated for a moment, then looked up at himself in the mirror. “The person who took the item is dead, and the body cannot be found…” He paused, “…There is currently no direct evidence to prove that Zhou Xiye took it.”
"No evidence to prove it?" Ling Qingyun sneered. "Ling Xingzhi, Ye Rouxin's information is very important. We can't let a woman make a mistake in this matter. You should understand that."
Ling Xingzhi stared at the familiar face in the mirror with a sullen expression.
"Besides, Ling Xingzhi, you want to protect Zhou Xiye, but does she want to protect you? Can you guarantee that if something happens to you, she will treat you the same way and personally go to bail you out?"
Ling Xingzhi pursed his lips and remained silent.
The two remained locked in a stalemate for a few seconds.
“Dad, Zhou Xiye and Ye Rouxin are friends, but…”
"Did you ask her yourself, or should I send someone over to make her explain?" Ling Qingyun interrupted Ling Xingzhi, her voice icy.
Ling Xingzhi looked down at the running water, his hands wrinkled and white from being soaked in it, and then he turned off the tap.
“Dad, there’s something I’ve always been curious about,” Ling Xingzhi said, pulling out a few pieces of paper and folding them a few times. “How did you know that Ye Rouxin’s things in the Panama Bank were so important? Ye Lifeng investigated because he was his son, so why are you, Father, so concerned about his death and his things?”
Ling Qingyun remained unusually silent.
A gust of wind blew by, and Ling Xingzhi looked up at the mirror. The door reflected in the mirror moved slightly.
"Dad, is Ye Rouxin's death related to you?"
Ling Qingyun laughed heartily, "Do you want to hear 'related' or 'unrelated'?"
Ling Xingzhi paused, his breathing seemingly tense. After a few seconds, he sighed softly and lowered his head again, "I will find out what Ye Rouxin left behind."
"Okay," Qingyun said, hanging up the phone with satisfaction.
Ling Xingzhi packed up his phone, wiped his hands (there were water droplets on the mirror from waving his hands), gave a slight smile, and walked out.
A few seconds later, the door to the toilet stall was pushed open. Wang Xiaodong peeked out and, after confirming that no one was in the toilet, tiptoed to the sink, turned on the faucet, paused for a few seconds, and after confirming that there was no sound, he turned on the faucet to wash his hands.
Wang Xiaodong overheard Ling Xingzhi's words and roughly understood why Zhou Xiye had gotten into trouble in Panama, and who the fugitive the embassy officials were so eager to pursue was. However… Ye Lifeng, the son of Premier Ye, and Committee Member Ling…
The matter is too complicated; it shouldn't be something his secretary overheard.
Thinking this, Wang Xiaodong washed his hands for a longer time. After turning off the tap, he grabbed some paper towels, dried his hands, and looked at himself in the mirror, feeling somewhat apprehensive. He didn't know whether he should be happy or afraid.
Happy – now I have leverage over you to control your actions.
Fear—that they have a handle to stop them from doing what they want.
After much deliberation, he decided it was best to tell Zhou Xiye; she could handle things if anything went wrong. Wang Xiaodong nodded to himself in the mirror, then turned and walked out of the bathroom. After a few steps, he turned a corner and bumped into Ling Xingzhi.
Wang Xiaodong was startled; the hairs on his body stood on end.
He paused, somewhat at a loss.
Ling Xingzhi leaned against the wall, glanced at his watch, then looked at him again, "It took you so long to get out... Are you sure you have a prostate problem?"
Immediately afterward, cold sweat broke out on Wang Xiaodong's back. He smiled cautiously, "Mayor Ling..."
Ling Xingzhi smiled gently and warmly, and walked over to Wang Xiaodong in a few steps, patting him on the shoulder, "If you need anything, go see a doctor. It's convenient to be at the hospital."
Wang Xiaodong licked his lips, "Mayor Ling..." The smile on his face was more difficult than a cry.
Ling Xingzhi shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "Zhou Xiye just fell asleep. Shall we go outside and talk?"
In the following days, Ling Xingzhi never left Zhou Xiye's bedside. She took care of all her daily activities—including going to the toilet, taking a bath, and eating. Even the nurses who came to change her dressings couldn't help but praise her, saying, "Madam, your husband is so good."
At that moment, Zhou Xiye was able to sit up, and Ling Xingzhi was peeling an apple. The two looked at each other, and Ling Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. Zhou Xiye turned to the nurse, shook his head, pointed at Ling Xingzhi, and then pointed to his own arm.
The nurse's expression changed immediately.
As soon as Ling Xingzhi put down the apple, he saw the nurse roll her eyes at him and instantly understood Zhou Xiye's intention. "I made you like this? Zhou Xiye, how come you lie without even thinking?" After saying that, he was also stunned. Politicians are all first-rate liars.
Realizing it too late, the two looked at each other and smiled.
Ling Xingzhi took care of everything personally, remotely controlling all matters in Kunming via telephone. He would read some important matters to Zhou Xiye, who would nod if he agreed and shake his head if he disagreed. The two worked together quite well.
On the first day Zhou Xiye was able to speak, he thanked Ling Xingzhi with a helpless expression, saying, "I'm really sorry to trouble you, Mayor Ling, but... whether you really came to take care of me or to monitor me, only you know the answer."
"Indeed, even in their most vulnerable moments, politicians do not forget to scheme against others."
Without even looking up, Ling Xingzhi, wearing non-prescription glasses, casually said something while looking at his phone.
Zhou Xiye snorted, got out of bed to move around a bit, then sat back down on the hospital bed, placing her hand on Ling Xingzhi's shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
Zhou Xiye tilted his head. "I'm curious, how did your dad know that what Ye Rouxin put here was important? Has he been keeping an eye on it for the past few months, just waiting for me to come?"
Ling Xingzhi narrowed his eyes, looked up at Zhou Xiye, and said nothing.
"I really didn't expect anyone to be guarding this place."
Ling Xingzhi nodded. "You reacted quite quickly, and the subsequent arrangements were all swift. However..." Ling Xingzhi's expression turned serious. "Using one's own life as a gamble is too frivolous."
"Didn't Ye Rouxin do the same thing?"
The man who had opened his mouth closed it again.
"Was Ye Rouxin's death related to your family?"
Zhou Xiye stared intently at Ling Xingzhi.
Ling Xingzhi sighed heavily, took off his glasses, and smoothed his brow. "Zhou Xiye, why do you always have to stand against me? Tell me what he left you, and I'll save your life."
"You can't even save your own wife's life, and you want to save mine?"
Ling Xingzhi glanced at it, his eyes filled with swords.
Zhou Xiye shifted her body, facing Ling Xingzhi directly, "I'm also curious, why must I choose you? Why can't you choose me?"
Yes, why can't you choose to stand with me?
Ling Xingzhi's pupils constricted instantly.
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